The present invention is directed to portable tables of the type which are particularly adapted for use for massage and physical therapy and which include hingedly connected top sections which are supported by pivotal leg assemblies. The leg assemblies are designed to be collapsed into a stored position beneath the top sections so that the two top sections may be folded into a compact and portable configuration. Further, the present invention is directed to cable truss systems which automatically deploy the table leg assemblies when the top sections are unfolded relative to one another and the cables thereafter positively reinforcing and stabilizing the leg assemblies while providing maximum leg clearance beneath the tables.
Portable tables of the type which are utilized by massage and other body therapists not only must be lightweight to facilitate portability but also must be durable enough to provide a safe support for those receiving treatment. In this respect, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,638 to Gillotti, a massage worktable is disclosed which includes a reinforcing truss system incorporating cables, cords or wire ropes which connect each leg to an area adjacent a pivot joint of foldable tabletop sections with the cables extending generally parallel along each side of the table. Such a structure decreases the overall weight of the portable table, however, the truss design associated therewith is insufficient to provide adequate reinforcement to the table legs and further obstructs clearance for the practitioner beneath the table. A similar cable reinforcing structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,041 to Romein.
To further increase stability of foldable massage tables, U.S. Pat No. 4,833,998 to Everett et al. discloses providing pivotable leg braces for connecting each of the legs of a table to a point adjacent a hinge joint of the top sections of the table. With the Everett et al. structure, flexible cables are utilized to secure the upper portion of the legs adjacent their pivot point to an intermediate portion of an adjacent leg brace with the cables extending beneath additional cable supports that are mounted at the mid-point of the table such that the cables extend generally parallel with respect to one another along the opposite sides of the table. The leg braces associated with the Everett et al. structure provide increased rigidity, however, the cable system, like that of the cable system disclosed in Gillotti, requires that the cables extend along each of the elongated sides of the table in such as a manner as to possibly interfere with the movement of the practitioner about the table. Further, the cable system only provides rigidity lengthwise of the table but not laterally with respect to the length. Somewhat similar structures for cable trusses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,009,170 to Spehar, 5,524,555 to Fanuzzi, and 5,676,062 to Lloyd.
Although many foldable therapeutic massage tables utilize reinforcing cable trusses that extend adjacent to and along the elongated sides of a table, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,128 to O'Brian discloses a foldable massage table wherein the legs are reinforced by two sets of diagonal leg braces, one of which extends toward the center portion of the table and one which extends to a central portion of an adjacent end of the table. The cable system in the patent incorporates cables which extend diagonally between laterally oriented reinforcement braces provided adjacent each end of the table to a diagonally opposite leg of the table adjacent its upper pivot connection to the top section of the table. Although this type of cable system does provide some lateral stability and also provides for increased clearance beneath the top of the table when compared as to other portable massage tables, the cable truss reinforcement does not provide adequate stabilization in the area of the longitudinal braces associated with each leg.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide a lightweight portable massage or therapy table which incorporates cable reinforcing for the legs or leg assemblies which not only provides maximum clearance beneath the table, so as to not interfere with the practitioner, but also provides longitudinal and lateral rigidity for the leg or leg assemblies during use of the table.